Crafterall Handmade Works

I've moved!

2012-01-16T19:15:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what you'll find more surprising, the fact that I'm posting something new here,
or the news that I've got a whole new place for my blogging efforts to reside. Either way, I hope you'll follow me over to my new home on the Web: www.Crafterall.com !

It's a brand new site with all sorts of fun features, and more on the way. One new facet I'll explain soon is the Lake of the Month voting poll that will allow you and anyone you can convince to join you to vote on the lake, city area, or coastline I cut next for the shop.

Mad props to my Cap-G Geek hubby for helping me migrate to the new .com, and in advance for the tech help I'll very likely need as I go along.

I appreciate all of you who have ever visited this blog, especially those who may have subscribed and have been patient readers over the last two+ years. Thank you! Now, c'mon over!

Topographic Table

2011-08-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

My studio is... well... it's practical. It's not lovely, airy, sun-soaked, or spartan like all good studios are supposed to be, but it gets the job done. My studio is the messy pony tail of the workspace universe -- It ain't pretty, but it helps me get my work done.

I work in the basement of our home. Sure, I have to supplement the lighting with lamps. And sure, I have workout equipment, an old t.v., dusty VHS tapes, and a stray sock from the laundry chute as my twisted feng-shui backdrop. Who cares? 75% of the year it's the perfect temp -- if on the cool side, I can crank the stereo without waking the kids, I can write off the "overhead" as a business expense, and most importantly, it's big enough that I can fit all my stuff here and I don't have to share with anyone.

So, it was a little fun when I actually made some changes to it recently. I occasionally take EVERYTHING off the 8-foot table and give the surface a good scrub. After staring at the wet marks evaporate from the faux-woodgrain tabletop, I was inspired to paint it white. I found some old white paint the former owners had left and laid on two, gooey coats of it in one day. From its age, my misuse, or something, the paint did not spread very nicely. Some parts were wonderfully white, while other parts hinted at a darker layer beneath. I'm an impatient re-decorator, so instead of applying yet another layer of paint on, I uncapped my Sharpie and went to town. Drawing (literally) from all my experience with contour maps over the last 4 years, I topo-fied my tabletop.

It still isn't spectacular, but it's brighter, more creative, much less faux-woodgrain, and totally Crafterall. After editing the "stuff" I need on the table and replacing the bare essentials, I can honestly say that it was worth it. Something about it says, "Yup. This is for real, y' know. This is your job. Now go, kick some butt."

I am o.k. (for now) with the fact that my studio will never look like Martha's or any of the dreamy spaces I've seen featured online. I do want to work a little more, though, on paring down even further, finding more out-of-the-way places for my less-frequently used tools and materials, and getting the whole place to jive a little more. If I'm going to spend 60 hours a week down here, I better darn well enjoy it! Maybe I'll get around to a complete "before and after" post when that "after" feels complete... say, in a couple years or so. *wink*

Papergirl

2011-08-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

Although I've never had a paper route (it doesn't count that my brother hired me a few times to help him with his), I fully accept the moniker "Papergirl" given to me by the kind folks at Midwest Home magazine.
They featured me this month in their In Town section, and I've heard from many lovely folks who've stopped in the shop after reading the article. While I have been fortunate enough to have been featured before on numerous blogs and web sites, there's something extra special about being mentioned in print. I guess it's no surprise as I've always had a love for tangibility and paper. ;) I've got my copy saved and stashed away. Thanks again, Midwest Home!

Introducing CrafterAlt!

2011-08-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

This has really been a long time coming, and, while I'd thought about waiting until we had a really full lineup, I'm so pleased that we've got the first few things ready for you and I just can't hold it back any longer.

My dear friend, Kendra of No Moniker (formerly Green Post), and I have teamed up to create a new offshoot of Crafterall. Call it a branch, a grafting, an offshoot, a hybrid, or just one heckuva clever collaboration, and know it by its name: CrafterAlt.

CrafterAlt is a new body of work made completely from my paper scraps. The line will include frameable 8 x 10" art pieces, foldover cards, bookmarks, journals, tags, and loads more. Between Kendra and I, we've jotted down close to 50 different items that we could make and market, all of them entirely recycled, entirely handmade, and entirely gorgeous.

We've started with the simple beauty of the silhouette of my home state, Minnesota, and we will work to produce more themes and images as we go along. Stay tuned for more posts about the process we have to produce these pieces, the other ideas we have floating around in our minds, and updates as we continue to roll out more works.

I'm thrilled with the quality and beauty of these pieces so far. Everyone I've shown them to remarks that they look even better in person too. The best part? I get to work with an amazing artist and paper wizard to create something new and beautiful out of what I'd otherwise dump in the recycling bin. How many people can claim that?

Shows & Things to Show!

2011-04-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

Whew! It's been a while!

While I'd like to be able to say that my hiatus is due to an extended snorkleing trip in the Fijian islands, I'm even more happy to say that I've been crazy busy with lots of awesome paperwork! I'm not being sarcastic. How can paperwork be awesome? When it's working with paper to churn out some of these pieces:

Above is a massive 4-piece, segmented work depicting the water of and land surrounding Lake Attersee in northwestern Austria. Each piece is 12 x 12" and at the thickest portions, there are 14 layers of cardstock. I would love to see this after it's matted and framed!

I've done quite a few sets lately. Another genius idea was this set of four places that traces four key locations that the buyer and her husband visited or inhabited in their young lives so far, and includes (clockwise from top left): San Francisco, Baja California, Amsterdam, and the Sunderbans of India.

Someone else ordered something akin to a "family pack" with different colors of the same lake:

Other fun custom pieces include Prince of Wales Island at the bottom of Alaska's "tail":

Table Rock Lake in southern Missouri:

And New York's Long Island done up in rich, harvest golds:

I finally worked out my plan for plastic-free packaging for my card sets:

I still have to incorporate them into my listings, and they could endure some more refining, but I like them for their simplicity, practicality, and recycle-ability!

Last month marked my second gallery exhibit, this one as part of a super cool show fronted by the brilliant Mr. Curt Lund. Curt just wrapped up his artist-in-residence term at the charming Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts in Fridley and for his grand finale, invited four other artists to join him in creating Geographies: a multi-media investigation of place. As fun and thrilling as it is to be part of any show, Geographies is so near and dear to my heart and what I do every day, that it is and will always be extra awesome to me. Here are some shots from the show:

Three all-white pieces (from left to right or west to east, if you will): San Francisco Bay, Lake Minnetonka, Manhattan

A bright, extra-dimensional piece called "Buoyancy":

This piece, two 6 x 6" layered "halves" of the same stack, I titled, 'Touched."

I invite people to touch this piece in the hopes that over time, it will begin to show the dirt and grime of a thousand hands. In a way, this reflects how we both connect to and corrode the land around us.

The show is up through the end of April, so if you're in the Twin Cities area, do check it out! There are more of my pieces than what I've shown here, and lots of other amazing pieces by the other artists in the collection.

Last Saturday, I joined Curt again, as well as a dozen other artists as an elite group vending our work at the beautiful Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. It was a very simple set-up: we were each allotted a single, simply draped 6-foot table, set in a line along a bank of floor-to-ceiling windows. The Walker staff treated us to some morning goodies, a lovely lunch, assistance whenever needed, and a free and amazing selling venue in exchange for half of our earnings that day. The turn out and response far exceeded my expectations and I sold out of a few things. You can see how spotty my card display looked below when my hubby and the kids stopped by in the afternoon:

I didn't intend to take my zip-up hoodie off, or have my hair pulled up, but it was warm and I was busy! It was a great day! One of the personal highlights for me was when an older gentleman asked me if I was from Bemidji. When I told him I was, he said that he knew my Dad. I pressed him for more information and he said he saw my last name on my info card, had a hunch, and then saw my blue eyes and knew I was my father's daughter. I was so chuffed to think that my eyes were the giveaway clue to my identity. I called my Dad after the show to tell him and he thought it was pretty sweet too. :) It was wonderful, too, to hear all the very nice comments people shared about my work. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love what I do!

What's next? More custom pieces, each one different, each one with a story behind it. I am so lucky to be able to make pieces for people who find these so special. Who knew it would become so huge since my very first custom piece about two years ago?

Also, up next, is the very fun, very crazy, very awesome, St. Paul Craftstravaganza! This year's event is held in the same place as in recent years, the Fine Arts building of the MN State Fair Grounds. The event takes place one day only, on Saturday, April 30th, from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. I'll be in the same place I was last year as well, just off to the right side from the main entrance.

There will be loads of other handmade goodies there from all over the state and region, with some of the most unique and high-quality items you'll find in this area. Please stop by and say "hi!"

Until then, I'm busy, busy, busy prepping more fun stuff for the show, as well as crossing off pieces from my custom to-do list. New orders from my shop will be shipped beginning early May, and my turn-around time on all my work should shorten considerably soon thereafter.

Thanks for reading through this meaty update! I hope to see you soon!

Twine Holder Tutorial

2011-01-27T14:51:00.001-08:00

I jumped on the trendy and simply decorated cotton baker's twine bandwagon, and finally bought my own spool. I've started to include it in my packaging and really like the nice, little touch it adds. Since I use it so often, I keep it handy, but on its own, it gets knocked over, the twine come unraveled, and it isn't fitting in with the organized flow of everything else in my workspace. Etsy's blog recently ran an article on antique string dispensers and my first problem-solving thoughts jumped to buying some fun, vintage artifact that was made to do just what I needed it to do. I browsed and was quickly discouraged by the selections, the prices, and the fact that many of them were either best mounted on a wall or required the spool to be unwound first.
I stared intently at the spool and suddenly, creative inspiration high-fived thriftiness, and I had my solution. I grabbed the materials and headed to the work bench. No more than three minutes later, I had my twine holder. Sweet!

Obviously it's not very complicated, and I wouldn't have thought to post a tutorial, but I couldn't find anything like that in my quick Google search, and I thought of a neat little tip on the fly that I think is worth sharing. So here is how you can make one for yourself, you twine-loving crafty person you!

Start with these few simple elements: Your spool of twine (mine is a 240 yd spool of the popular Divine Twine), a jelly jar that the spool fits into (I found this tall, quilted jar fit perfectly, but many medium-sized jars would work too), a hammer and I relatively large gauge/ thick nail.

I imagine this would work with a single piece lid, but it worked very well with a 2-piece. Set the nail into the center of the inside of the flat part of the lid (on the workbench or some other surface that can handle a nail driven into it -- NOT on your dining room table!).

Once the nail fit through the opening, I took it out and flipped the lid over. Here's where the genius really kicked in. I put the nail back through the hole in the lid so that that head of the nail rested on the sharp edges of the hole opening. Then I positioned the lid on the workbench so that the nail hung over the edge. A quick rap or two with the hammer on the head of the nail, and I flattened those sharp edges.

So now, I had a smooth, snag-less opening on the inside of the lid:

And a relatively ouch-less opening on the outside of the lid. I patted myself on the back for that one.

Then, I just put the spool in the jar, threaded the twine through the opening and the lid ring, screwed on the lid and Presto! Twine Holder. It fits the spool like they were made together, it's weighty enough to stay in place when I pull on the twine from the top, it's pretty darn cute, it didn't cost me a cent, and it's crafty as all get out.

I suppose an uber-crafter could go to town decorating the jar and/or the jar's lid with all sorts of craftiness, but I'm happy with this simple, re-purposed gem, and my hubby is glad that I didn't buy anything else. :)

East Coast? West Coast? NO COAST!

2010-11-09T09:32:00.000-08:00

Yo!

Let the countdown to mass craziness begin, baby. Here's all you need to know:

What: No Coast Craft-o-Rama
When: De-cem-ber 3rd & 4th
Where: Midtown Global Exchange building in Minn-e-apolis
Who: Craft-er-all and a boat load of some of this region's coolest artists and handmade geniuses
How Much: How much you got? ;)

Seriously, I'm psyched and totally inventory deficient. Going to stock up first on some bulk "Midnight Oil" so I can burn the heck out of it.

Locally Harvested

2010-11-02T07:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I dropped off some work to be included in my first, official, fine art show. I've been slow to adopt the title "Artist" and have come a long way from making greeting cards to what I do now. This show marks my foray into gallery shows, and I'm pretty excited about it.

The Show: Locally Harvested "small art - big beauty". Held within the Capstone Gallery at 4325 Nicollet Ave S. in Minneapolis, November 12 - December 28. Opening Party will be November 19, from 6 - 9 p.m.

The Works:

"Reincarnations No.1" & "Reincarnations No.2"

These pieces represent an idea I've had rumbling around in my head and in my sketchbook for at least a year. I wanted to play with the silhouette trend that's been hot lately, and yet do something new and maybe meaningful with it. For this work, I've tried to capture the sense that we go through a series of different selves as we age, and that somewhere inside us, there are traces of ourselves as younger and younger "reincarnations."

These are some of the first pieces I've designed digitally for the Silhouette cutter. The newer software application is so much easier to use and has opened up a new world of cutting possibilities for me. So far, I'm quite pleased with the results.

"Flow"

This is another idea I've had for a long time: to create a topography-type piece in sections for a puzzle-like look. The result turned out better than I expected. I am digging the "friction" caused by seeing the flow of the water subject interrupted by the separation. Perhaps it's a comment about how we've disrupted the land around us. Or perhaps it's just neat.

"Elevated"

This piece is similar to "Flow" in that the subject has been sliced apart, but here, I've mounted them on a single piece of cardstock, and then elevated two of the pieces for more depth. I'm playing with the idea of topography, the height of the land, and the disruption of the status quo.

"Harvest"

Cut from 14 layers of brown and cream cardstock, this work has both the mountain and the quarry from which it was "mined" as equal halves of the same material.

"Clary Lake"

My last piece is an homage to Mr. Charles Clary, a contemporary paper artist to whom I've been nicely compared by some. I tried to mimic Clary's technique of layering with space in between the layers, while still maintaining my flair for topography, land and water.

This was my first experiment with this and I have to admit that my respect for the precision and complexity of Clary's work rose immensely throughout this process.

While working on these delayed my production of some custom requests and general shop stocking, the show is exactly the motivation I needed to work out some of these ideas, and feel a little more worthy of the title, "artist."

I'd love to hear what you think of these. And I'd really love to see you at the show!

My Right Hand

2010-10-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

This is my right hand.

This is the hand that does most of the work. This is the hand that holds the blade and wiggles it through the cardstock on every piece I make. This is the hand that brings down the arm of the paper trimmer, that pulls the fresh sheet of paper from the drawer, that lines up the ruler with the edge, that drags the adhesive dispenser across the surface, that writes the note, that presses the sticker on the package, that takes over more than its half of the keyboard when I type, that runs a stiff fingertip along a fold, that aligns this piece with that, that hits "enter" and pauses while I reread, that grabs, shuffles, pinches, smooths, and stretches. This is the hand that I pull away from my work to rest, to let dangle at my side until the feeling returns, the pain subsides, and the cramp eases.

It's a little hand, with little dimply knuckles, a tiny scab here and there, hangnails, my mother's ring that never sits right, clipped nails, and a freckle or two. It also shows the wear of my work. On a knuckle on my pinky, there's a yellowy callous from where my hand has slid across thousands (millions?) of sheets of paper over that last three years.

And on my middle finger, a larger, but not as hardened callous between the top two knuckles, from the pressure of the blade against it day after day and day.

These are my "battle scars," my decoration from hours of odd and repetitive use, and my body's way of adapting to what I do for a living. Small, inconspicuous, but there, hardening, and thickening over time. They remind me of the choices I've made to get me here, and the time I've committed to this work. On my disheveled right hand, I wear them like badges of honor.

I'd give my left arm to be ambidextrous. (let that one sink in a bit...)

Ninety-nine... One hundred!

2010-09-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

The very first piece, back when it was "NEW"
In November of 2008, I sold my first 8 x 10" Topography in Aqua piece. I was bolstered to create the larger, frame-able sized pieces based on the small and growing success of my new topography cards, and was just as surprised as anyone when these did well too.

Number 100 (detail)

Just under two years later, I've cut my 100th version of these. There have been other aqua topographies in different sizes, and differently colored pieces as well. Each of these are numbered in their own sets. Looking at the older photos, it's fun to see the evolution of my work. The cardstock is different, my cutting is a bit more complex, and the descriptions are a bit more fleshed out, but the basic concept is still pretty much the same.

Number 100
Thank you, dear readers and fans of the shop. Your encouragement and support has truly helped me reach this milestone. I can only image what all 100 of those pieces would look like stacked one atop another, or in a gallery, framed and hung in a line on a long, long wall. How cool would that be?! Here's to the next 100!

Alaska, Forida, New York, Oh My!

2010-09-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

More custom requests have been filing in, with miraculously workable timing. Do you all get together behind my back and sort yourselves out, or am I just this lucky to maintain a lovely, nearly constant stream of requests? Either way, I'll take it!

Here's a look at what I've been up to lately.

Auke Bay, near Juneau, Alaska

Auke Bay (detail)
This piece shows one of the few times that I used the darkest color for the land as the base layer, instead of working the four shades the other way. I think the effect works really well since the land closest to the ocean here is rich with giant evergreens, and just up the steep sides of these mountains are glaciers and snow caps. I also really like the greater contrast between the light blue of the water and the dark green of the land. Might have to try this with my next few Islands pieces.

Next up, warm and sunny, Sanibel Island in southwest Florida:

Sanibel Island

Sanibel Island (detail)
Because the topography is very subtle here and much of the island is marshy wetland, the buyer and I agreed that just two layers of green would suffice to represent the land in this area. I chose the middle of the Grass Green set for a nice, true-green tone with good contrast to those gulf coast waters. With all the little islands and lakes, I don't think we missed the other two layers.

Back up north, this time on the eastern side of the country, I had another request for the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. This time, I was asked to recreate the land's topography as well as the lake depths. It was fairly crucial to be as accurate as I could be as the buyer and her friend participated in a thigh-busting, 300-mile bike ride up and down this terrain, and these pieces were to be souvenirs of that event. It took a few tries, and quite a bit of back-and-forth communication, but I think we did O.K. in the end, and I'm very grateful for the patience and flexibility of this buyer. These pieces aren't the winners, but they'll give you a good idea of the project and all those lovely hills.

Finger Lakes

Finger Lakes (detail)

Staying in New York, but moving to the big city, I recreated a section of Manhattan's Upper West Side, along the Hudson River, and across from the Fairview area.

Upper West Side

Upper West Side (detail)It's a wonderfully simple piece with quiet sophistication, done up in creamy browns. I like how the river, at a distance, could almost be mistaken for a piece of bark, then the fabricated piers on the west bank reveal that it is something else entirely, and perhaps, to a keen observer, give away its true location identity.

What fun stuff you guys throw at me, and what a great way to "travel" the world. Thank you!

Packaging Tidbits

2010-08-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

My post on basic packaging tips is up on the Handmade Minnesota team blog. I invite you to scoot over there, have a read, and please share a bit of your packaging and shipping acumen. Thanks!

Eight Hundred Cards

2010-08-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

What does 800 cards from Crafterall look like?

Something like this:

Sorted, counted, ready to package:

Making the cards is the biggest part, but by no means the only part of filling such a large order. There's packaging the individual cards and/or sets with envelopes and inserts, completing and printing necessary packing and billing paperwork, packing the entire order to be shipped, and obtaining postage for the whole deal.

I really like this part. It's relatively mindless and it lets me do something I love: play with packaging!

This is starting to feel kinda "big time." I'm exhausted, proud, and thrilled all at once. Phew!

*edited to add: Did you know that there is a wiki page for the number "800"? At first, I thought it was a bit ridiculous as I read, "800 (eight hundred) is the natural number following 799 and preceding 801." Um... duh. We need a wiki for this? Then, I read this: "It is the sum of four consecutive primes (193 + 197 + 199 + 211), " and proceeded to geek out. This is actually pretty darn cool. See here for more on 800 or choose your own number.*

Welcome to dee islands, mon!

2010-07-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to creating more fictional island pieces for the shop, after making (and selling) the first two back when there was still snow on the ground. As ever, I continue to be inspired by cutting actual locations for custom requests, and it's so fun to be able to do "whatever" with these imagined places. Each piece is, at its most diverse points, eight layers thick, and the pieces are available in three different sizes:

8 x 10"

No. 5
No. 5 (detail)

No. 6

No. 6 (detail)

No. 7

No. 7 (detail)

10 x 12"

No. 3

No. 3 (detail)

No. 8
No. 8 (detail)

and 12 x 12" (The Big Kahuna!)

No. 4

No. 4 (detail)

I'm pondering new colorways too. Tan to brown land surrendering its ore to rusty orange waters? Monochromatic whites, greys, into black? All white? What do you think?

Until I work up the budget to spend time on a real tropical island, I will be happy to pretend, as my blade cuts land and volcanic peaks from cerulean waters, that I am there, sipping something chilled and mildly intoxicating, swinging lazily in a canvas hammock, the lullaby of waves hush-hushing me to sleep.

Thanks for having a look.

Working the Land

2010-07-13T19:53:00.001-07:00

uffta (OOF-tah): interjection: Exclamation of Norwegian origin, popular in strongly Scandinavian settlements in the upper Midwest, used to express surprise, bewilderment, astonishment, pity, pain, and fatigue. Syn. yikes, oh boy, whoa nelly, hoo-wee, good gravy.

I'm happy to report that the custom requests continue to pour into my shop at a nicely steady pace. While many of them remain in the style of my original lake-style bathymetries, the most recent requests have begun to grow legs and climb onto land for a look at the good life. Starting from the simplest, though not necessarily easiest, to the most complex, here's a look at what me and my trusty lil' blade have been up to lately.

The first piece is basically a reverse of my typical pieces. Instead of the land being a single, solid white layer with the water represented in layers of deepening color, the water here is a base layer of white, and the land is layered on top in the shades from light to dark. Abstract veining, or a chunk of Mobjack Bay, near Gloucester, Virgina?

Going with more land-like coloration, another patron requested a 12-layer representation of Little Switzerland, North Carolina. If you notice, there's a handful of little lakes scattered throughout this area as well.

Incorporating the water into the land-based topographies took off from there. Starting small, here is the stunning Plage du Pyla on the southwestern coast of France.

From here, it was an all-out war against my brains and hands to work both the land's topography and the water's depth into a single piece. Here is an artistically isolated Marrowstone Island, from the great state of Washington.

(detail)
(entire piece)
And it didn't get any easier from there. A request for the Rhode Island coastline near Westerly:

(detail)
(entire piece)
And then onto the largest lake in New Hampshire: Lake Winnipesaukee. I counted at least 53 islands here, not including the little hills of land that were islands of another sort.

(detail)

(entire piece)
Finally, the biggest, most time-taxing, brain-busting piece to date was actually a set of pieces. Two pairs of pieces of two different areas of Quebec -- Rouyn-Noranda and Montreal.

(detail)

(both sets)
(detail)
To answer a question that I'm sure many of you have in mind at this point, YES, these take a good, many hours to complete, and cutting the pieces is only a small portion of the process. For many of these, especially those attempting to capture a big area in a much smaller space, it's difficult to find easy-to-read topographic maps that generalize the land's topography enough to be of use. Most of the time, I need to zoom in to see the lines, choose which ones to follow, and then zoom out to work the lines into the piece itself. I feel like I add more wrinkles in my brain by doing this. It is mentally exhausting, and it is totally worth it. The results look way cool to me, and I'm excited to tackle some more. Not all areas seem to translate as well as others, but they all have an artful final look, and, best of all, the recipients get to own an original art map of the place they love.

You can say it with me: Uffta!

Collecting Topography & its Kin

2010-06-23T18:19:00.000-07:00

As an artist who's been chest deep in topographies for about two years now, I keep an eye open for other forms of artful topography or topography-like art. I've started a collection and I'm happy to share some of what I've found so far. Today's selections showcase the variety of substances in which artists have worked in some very tasty topographies, intentionally or implied.Paper and wood are children of the same source, more or less, as plant pulp, and so it's equally gratifying for me to find awesome pieces made of either material. Starting close to home, the very talented Charles Clary crafted this beauty and others like it using the same paper I use:

Microbial Triple Diddle InfestationA closer look reveals these achingly awesome details, curves, lines, and depth. LOVE this stuff.
Microbial Triple Diddle Infestation (detail)I've come across these lovely wooden pieces at a nearby mall kiosk and had to stop, ogle, and smile. I'm fairly certain that the brains and skill behind Lakes of Wood and I could have a nice chat with one another about technique and trials.

A while back, a visitor to my shop referred me to this impressive gallery of work done by Chris Yates. My head spins just looking at all those layers!

Eagle-Vail, Colorado
And then there is the medium of fabric. I toyed a bit with this already, having made topography pillows a while ago, but I'm just not good enough yet to make it economical. Instead, I'll drool over these yummies.

Purl (detail) by Amy Honchell
Project Runway alum , Etsy shop owner, and fabric layering guru, Leanne Marshall designed a lovely collection of topography inspired dresses. If I get mega rich and famous for my art, I'm calling Leanne for my red carpet dress.

Perhaps my most favorite find is this A.MA.ZING concrete sink, created by the fine people of Gore Design Co. Their "erosion" sink is clever as all get out concept, and brilliant design. For the record, I have never so nearly swooned for a sink as I have for this. In the rich and famous daydream I mentioned above, I'm walking down that red carpet wielding this sink under one arm. It's that cool.

And while I'm swooning and daydreaming, I'll wrap myself in one of Leah Evan's impossibly gorgeous quilts, like this one:

Shoreline

or this one: Dark Estuary
Eee Gads, they're amazing. I think I would cry if I ever saw one in person. Or laugh joyfully. Or both, like the now infamous Double Rainbow Guy.

I'm fairly certain that I'll compile another list of kick-ass topographic and map-inspired work again, but for now I'll close with a fun flickr find. I hope you enjoyed this little tour as much as I have.

The deranged topography of ice

Done! For a short while anyway.

2010-05-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

Yay! Back to back Saturday Craft fairs are done! The HandmadeMN Spring Market was fun! Everyone's tables looked great and there was a fairly steady stream of shoppers all day. It was neat to have awesome music throughout the day thanks to Kelly of Kellybot and her love of The Current's playlist. A couple of times throughout the show, Kelly and I made eye contact from across the room and exchanged "rock horns" and head bobs in appreciation of the tunes. It was so cool to be there with other team members to represent our talent-filled state. I have to say that we represent very well indeed!

Closest to me were the lovely and genius Regan of Regan's Brain, and the very sweet Lindsay of Skylark Dawn who was kind enough to donate some of her bendy wire and paper hearts for Leah to craft into wearable art.

A special shout out to the gorgeous and wonderful Andrea of Sacred Suds who took this photo of me at my table. Andrea makes delicious smelling soaps with a keen awareness and use of natural ingredients.

If you look carefully at the photo, you can see Leah's head peeking out of the right side of the farthest card display. Once again, she was a good companion, although this time she focused a bit too much on what she might get as a "treat" for working with me rather that be a good sport for the heck of it. She ended up with a smashing little ring from Toni at Wild Dog Studio. Still, it was great to have her company and conversation throughout the show and she was a superb helper as we set up and took down.

What's next? Not sure. Nothing on the horizon for the immediate future, though not for lack of opportunity. I've been invited to some fab events and have my eyes on a few of them for a bit later in the summer. In the meantime, I'll continue to update the shop with some new pieces and hope to add even more custom pieces to my repertoire. So stay tuned, and relax. :)

Next up, Marvelous Minnesotans!

2010-05-07T08:10:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow -- YIKES! TOMORROW ALREADY! -- is the first annual HandmadeMN Team Spring Market!

It's going to be awesome. Our very talented and productive Etsy team has been working very hard to make this one kick-ass craft show. There will be forty vendors selling all sorts of cool things as well as some hands-on demos and a fun contest to enter as well. See a list of all the vendors and read all about the event here, by clicking here, or on our poster!

Again, if you're in the area, please stop by -- it's going to be too cold for anything but shopping!

One down, one to go!

2010-05-07T07:47:00.000-07:00

The St. Paul Craftstravaganza was a blast! It was my best show so far and everything went very well. There was a steady stream of shoppers all day, and for every sale I had, I received about 4 or 5 "Wow"s or "Beautiful"s or something sweet along those lines -- how cool!

See that little framed piece lying flat toward to the front of the table? This is a framed piece without the glass, and with a little note that says, "Touch Me!" My second favorite part of the day was watching the expression on people's faces when they read the note and followed the instructions. So many "Oh!"s and "Ooooo"s and smiles too! Too many people easily mistake my colorful work for two-dimensional prints, and it's important for me to show them that each piece is hand cut and layered. I think this small, framed piece does the trick pretty well.

I had other pieces framed (with glass) for sale and to show off how good they look when matted and framed nicely. The indoor show allowed me to hang these pieces without worrying about the wind blowing them around or other weather effects. My banner (hand stenciled and sewn from a window blind remnant) looked far less impressive and has since sparked all sorts of bigger and better ideas in my head for next year or perhaps later this summer. There were so many outstanding booths there this year -- many craft show veterans who really know what they're doing and how to put together a shopper-stopper display. They really put mine to shame, but I'm o.k. with that. I can only get better, right? I have to say that I love my little felt banner hung on the front of my table -- such a happy pop of color. It was made and given to me by the lovely Laura Brown who is an amazing artist here in Minneapolis. Thanks again, Laura!

My favorite part of the day is all about that little monkey standing next to my table in the photo above. My Leah Bear hung out with me for the entire day, keeping me company, entertaining me with stories from school or pointing out interesting photos from her animal encyclopedia she brought along. She refilled sold items before their spot got cold, and kept a steady supply of business cards displayed on the table. She never complained once and fared very well considering we hardly ate anything and it was a very long day. I think she was even more excited than me every time I had a sale. I couldn't imagine a better booth buddy. :)

Next Saturday, The HandmadeMN Spring Market! Yes!

When you say, "Craftstravaganza," you've said it all!

2010-04-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

Last year, I took in my first St. Paul Craftstravaganza as a shopper, in awe of the awesomeness at every single booth (yes! None disappointed!), and taking mental notes for what I might do were I to tackle my own craft fair booth someday.
This year, with a couple of shows under my apron, I will be on the other side of the booth as a vendor, hoping to meet lots of cool folks, hug lots of new friends, and sell lots of my neat-o work! If any of you are in the area, please, please come and check it out. You will not leave empty handed. In addition to all the tempting goodies crafted and otherwise, there will be make & take demos, and I'm giving out free hugs! It's going to rock!

Foot (well, half a foot) in the Door

2010-04-01T19:28:00.001-07:00

Thanks to my local Twitter contacts and some artsy friends, I heard about "Foot in the Door 4" with enough time to create and submit a piece for the event. The exhibit is produced and managed by the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program as a subset of the Minneapolis Institute of Art. You can read all about it on their Web site, but basically the once-a-decade exhibit displays any and all submissions so long as each one fits within one square foot. It took me a while to get the play on words.

The whole family joined me on the day I submitted my work and we had to wait in line for about twenty minutes before passing my piece, a 5 x 7 topography in teal, to the capable hands of a curator. While we were waiting in line, a man was interviewing other artists about their work and why they thought this might be their big break. He didn't interview me, but I'm in the background a few times in this video!

We returned a few weeks later after the exhibit had opened and searched among the thousands of pieces for my work. I was bit disappointed that we weren't all entitled a full square or cubic foot, but rather that we were bunched to fit as efficiently on the wall as possible. It would have been nice to make use of that white space, but truthfully, had the curators arranged the pieces that way, the exhibit would have eaten up an entire wing of the institute.

Here are a few photos of our visit.

Entering the second floor of the new wing and being welcomed by the overflowing art!

Finding the wall with my piece on it -- no easy task.

A closer look finds my work just above a photo of "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale at the Grey Gardens estate.

I was quite impressed with the caliber of talent and the variety of media used throughout the exhibit. Perhaps I expected more paint-by-number pieces or attempts at "anti-art" with pages torn from a notebook with the word "art" written on it. Instead, there were loads of fascinating, poignant, and downright beautiful works. I really should go back and take more time to take it all in.

Before leaving, my daughter requested I snap a photo of the gorgeous Chihuly piece hanging in the main lobby. She has affectionately dubbed it, the "flaming mac & cheese ball." It works for me.

Topography Card Sets @ MoMA Store Online!

2010-03-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

If you live outside New York and want your own set of the custom-colored, 4-card set of these topography cards, you're in luck! They are now available online at the MoMA Store site.

And to answer your question before you ask it, no, I haven't wrapped my brain around the fact that the listing for my cards exist in the same sales category as the Tim Burton, Andy Warhol, or Frank Lloyd Wright notecards. That's just a bit bigger than this noodle can handle. ;)

Custom Pieces for Awesome People

2010-03-12T20:26:00.000-08:00

The requests for custom pieces continue to roll in and have been my "bread and butter" lately. Each one is a new challenge that helps me to learn about places on the map as well as new techniques to render those places. Here's a look at some of the latest custom pieces I've created.

I was thrilled to recreate the lakes I lived nearly for nearly 9 years: Mendota, Monona, and Wingra in Madison, Wisconsin. The heart of the city of Madison, the state's capital, sits in the middle of the isthmus between these two sister lakes. Just before we moved back to Minnesota, Madison adopted the tag line "Madison: Lake, City, Lake." Clever, huh?

Two big trends have emerged in my latest batch of custom requests: islands & Canada! The close up above and the piece beside it is my version of the Lake of Bays in Ontario, not too far from where my hubby I honeymooned. What a gorgeous area!

Only an hour and half away lies the equally "Swiss-cheese" like body of water known as Lake Joseph

Man, do those prehistoric glaciers know how to tear it up, or what? :)

Taking the cake for "most timely" request is one of the Vancouver area. It was neat to work on this piece while the Olympics were taking place.

Not quite into Canada, but following a similar shape pattern is the lovely and historic Lake Champlain that sits between eastern New York and western Vermont.

This request came with a color set I haven't used in my own topographies but looks stunning none the less. Yes, you can order a topography to match your walls, or get close anyway.

I made another piece in this color set about a week prior and the colors were specifically chosen to pay homage to the vineyards on Martha's Vineyard:

I worked on my first couple of 8-layer custom requests. One for the very real and beautiful island of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands:

And one for the very surreal and lovely Never Neverland from Peter Pan!

Another island I conquered is that of Mumbai, India. I had no idea it was an island as it's barely cut off from the mainland by a river. Per the patron's request, I didn't feature any of the nearby land to accent the specific island region, and I added a star next to her hometown.

Below is a piece representing Samish Island in northwestern Washington. This island used to be an actual island, but after dikes were erected the land bridge emerged turning the island into more of a peninsula. The buyer of this piece described the area's lush flora and fauna to me in her request and it made my lust to visit Washington even greater.

The most complicated custom piece I've created so far is the piece I made of the Savannah, Georgia delta area, as part of a three-piece, custom-color set. Once I wrapped my mind around the idea that I was cutting out islands rather than trying to cut out the inlets, the process somehow became easier. Well, a little bit. It was a labor of love and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.

The other two pieces in the set were one of Chicago, seated at the southwestern corner of Lake Michigan, and Manhattan, with it's famed bridges connecting everyone to "where it's at." I'm not certain, but I think the Manhattan piece might be the first piece I've made where I've included bridges.

There's a three-way tie for my favorite custom pieces of the last two months. In no particular order the first one is this 12 x 12" piece of the chain of lakes near Fairmont in southern Minnesota.

Because I was taking in such a good chunk of land as my subject, the scale of the lakes was quite small and it was tricky moving the blade in such tight little curves. Overall, I really like the abstract look of it. It's the sort of piece that, when framed and on display, someone might say, "My, what a unique piece of art," whereupon the owner of this piece proudly exclaims,"It's a hand cut recreation of the chain of lakes near where I grew up." And to this the first person gasps excitedly and is left speechless at the wonder of it all. *cheese* ;) In short, I like it because, to me, it is both cool art and cool geography.

Second is this piece of Cape Neddick in southeastern Maine. This may be the first coastal-centered piece I've made and I really like the overall composition of this piece and the high contrast between the stark white on the left and the deep aqua on the right. And the cut of the ocean into the land is killer.

Finally, there's this piece. A piece made of custom colors chosen to represent striations of land as from erosion. I don't think I would have thought of this on my own, and the colors together seem to brighter and stronger than the sum of their parts. Yet another reason why I love making custom pieces.

As my work and techniques continue to evolve, I hope you'll see some of the details in these custom pieces in my non-custom work as well. I love my job!

The Big Melt

2010-03-08T16:37:00.000-08:00

Our massive piles of snow are retreating and there are buds on all the twiggy things. Despite the fact that the temps stay above freezing even overnight these days, I am still hesitant to break out the shorts and sandals and welcome Spring.

This is Minnesota. Here, it can snow in July and freeze in August. Spring is often more a battle between Winter and Summer than a slow and forward progression from cold to warm. Still, in honor of the changes we've seen in these glorious last two weeks, here is my latest treasury featuring stunning pieces from members of the HandmadeMN team. Enjoy the little bits of color!

Winter's End

row 1: SteampunkVintage, AdornJewelry, cholulajewelry, ALineofHerOwn
row 2: westernartglass, ShaggyBaggy, laurabrownart, athenaslittleowl
row 3: JennyBunny, TCWitchcraftFactory, FennelStudio, fromoutofthecracks
row 4: glorioushats, byrdandbelle, connectedelements, XOHandworks

This Mama's at the MoMA!

2010-01-22T09:53:00.000-08:00

I cannot contain my super top secret any longer!

To set the scene:

Imagine me, leaping around the house, pigtails flying, singing "tra-la-laaaaa" a la Captain Underpants, bumping into doorways, with small children and a giant dog excitedly chasing after me.

Got it?

That's how thrilled I am .

Crafterall has landed at the Museum of Modern Art retail store in New York!

Currently, they're selling these lovely "Layered Love" cards in time for the mushy stuff to come next month.

Coming in February, these custom colored topography card sets in Sea Foam, Royal, Poppy and Violet.

It's been rough keeping this news under wraps until I knew the cards were physically in the store. I had told a few people after I was first contacted by a MoMA rep, but I made them swear to secrecy and threatened them with dollar store greeting cards for the rest of all their birthdays if they leaked the news.

While I was prepared to undertake the size of the order, I did climb a pretty steep learning curve related to the paperwork and shipping procedures necessary to conduct business with a bigger retail outlet. For instance, I now know what a bill of lading is and have created my own version of one to use again, as well as my own custom packing slip and invoice. I feel so... official.

So, many of you are probably wondering how this all happened. I suppose I can say that great product photos, original designs, and a swing toward to the modern side of styles was all it took, but I think luck played a very nice hand in this instance.

Back in late August, I was contacted via Etsy by a Paper Products Manager for MoMA Retail who was browsing the stationary on the site and was drawn to my topography cards. Luck. She requested some samples, I sent her a few topography cards in a variety of colors as well as a couple of other cards I was making at the time.

Around that time, I was transitioning from a discontinued line of cardstock to a newer one with more color options (luck), so a few weeks later, I sent more samples and a color swatch sheet for reference. The rep conferred with her people and got back to my people (well, just me, really), with four color choices for a custom set, and also mentioned interest in buying the heart cards for Valentine's day. Luck. She was also able to give me a heads up on the item count before the actual purchase order giving me ample time to complete everything. She has been a dream to work with since our very first correspondence and continues to cheerfully lead me through the big business processes. Major Luck.

So that's that! I've googled "Etsy" and "MoMA" together a bunch of times and have not yet read anything from anybody else like me who's been hand plucked like this. Has this or something like it happened to anyone else out there? I feel very strange, honored, and I'll say it again, LUCKY to be where I am.

And I'm happy as can be.

Perhaps it's a bit of a stretch, but it sort of feels like I've won a big award. So, in that light, I'll close this post with my acceptance speech full of thanks and dedications:

Thank you so much! Seriously, thank YOU! Yes YOU, reading this blog post right now. Because I know you care enough to come to my blog and read through this, I grow more confident and continue to create pieces that may catch the eyes of highfalutin retail shop managers. Thanks, too, to my friends and family who offer good criticism and support of what I do. Specifically, I thank my dear friend Kendra Zvonik who has held my hand through this whole process, who pulls my feet back down to earth when I float away in uncertainty, and who lifts me up when I wallow in frustration. I dedicate these happy vibes to my patient and supportive hubby and to my two crafty girls who've quietly watched me cut paper in my studio when they would have rather been playing hide and seek or wild cat rescue.

It feels so great to let this kitty out of the bag. Let's hope it enjoys a wild adventure out there!

What's New? I'll Show Ya!

2010-01-20T12:26:00.000-08:00

Coming up for air here, after completing more than a handful of fun wholesale orders, fulfilling some awesome custom requests, and working on some NEW things for the shop. Imagine me, resurfacing form my basement studio, gasping for a breath, and with a huge, cheeky smile on my face. Life is good! This is a meaty post with lost of photos, so grab a beverage, find a comfy spot to sit, and read on!

First, a look at some custom pieces from the past two weeks. This is a "reverse" layered piece I cut of the Bahamas:

I started by cutting the white of the islands, layered those tiny pieces over the lightest shade of aqua, cut again, layered again, and so forth. As with most of my custom orders, I consider the region quite a bit while I'm working on it, and with this one, I enjoyed convincing myself that I was warmed by the equatorial sun as I carved out these island oases. It was well worth the time!

Then, I had a cool request for the Great Lakes.

While I disliked having to simplify some of the outlines for the sake of space, I thoroughly enjoyed creating the familiar silhouette of these massive bodies of water as well as learning about the bathymetry that lies beneath the surfaces of each lake. Who knew Lake Erie was so relatively flat, and that Lake Superior was spooky deep? (Well, probably loads of science and geology folks know that, but I learned something!)

One of the things I like best about working on custom orders is that they push me to try new things. Case in point, a custom order for Kim, a lovely mom and apple orchard owner. (Plug: She also has her own Etsy shop too!) She wants to start a gallery of apple-related art in a store on the orchard property, and she asked me if I could make a layered papercut with an apple as the subject. I could, and I did!

It was fun to use a variety of bold colors and to layer the paper differently than I usually do. I think it turned out well and I'm tempted to make more like this. Thanks, Kim!

Lastly, I worked my fingers to the bone finishing fifty of these little beauties for a delightful shop owner in Chicago. They are blank cards featuring a layered papercut of Lake Michigan with a little star representing the Windy City. Aren't they cool?

After a while, the shape of Lake Michigan began to resemble a strange, large-abdomen-ed insect, but filling in the shape with the depth layers helped dispel that idea. ;) Silly me.

New in the shop this month, the "Layered Love" cards are back for Valentine's Day and they're better than ever. Brighter colors, bigger hearts, and your choice of Poppy Reds:

Or Pinky Pinks:

I also introduced the new Teal colorway into the Topography piece collection:

It's lighter and bluer than the aqua scheme, and I really like it. As you can see in the piece above, I'm working more islands into my pieces as well. It takes more time to do this, but I believe the result is totally worth it.

Finally, I worked through a sketch I've had in my head for a long time and came out with these fun, new card sets. I call them "Googie cards" after the mid-century Googie architecture movement with all its funky geometry and groovy color palettes. Mine come in sets of two cards with one card layered dark to light and the other card layered light to dark. Far out, huh?

They're available in Sea Foam (where did I put that leisure suit?):

Harvest Gold (just like Grandma's oven!):

and Avocado, baby (reminiscent of that delicious shag carpeting you tore out of your old house):

It was nice to take a little break from non-stop topography and it has always been fun experimenting with new ideas. Man, I love what I do!

I Put the "Hole" in Wholesale

2009-12-16T06:59:00.000-08:00

Pardon my papercutting pun; I couldn't resist.

Recently, I had the pleasure of accepting a wholesale re-order from the delightful folks at Shoppe Local. I'm excited by how quickly the request came after the initial order, and by the fact that the shop itself seems to be doing well. The downside, if there is any, is that it's a lot of work to turn out a big batch of topographic pieces and card sets, especially when I try to make my turn around time as short as possible. Still, I do enjoy my work and I love the business, so no complaining from me! This time around, I thought I'd snap a quick before and after shot of my work. Here is the stack of colored cardstock, white cardstock, white pre-scored cards, and my two well-traveled tools for cutting and sticking:

And here is the finished work, piled up once again on my studio table, this time as completed and packaged pieces ready to head to the shop:

I relish the satisfaction of completing a project like this. I'll admit that I do a little dance, raise my fists in the air, and make obnoxious crowd-cheer noises when I'm done. I figure I've earned it, right?

Making Lemonade, or in this case, Coupons

2009-11-16T22:40:00.000-08:00

A while back, I ordered a batch of business cards. To my dismay, they arrived with all sorts of errors making them essentially unusable. But the cardstock was a very nice thickness and I felt like there must be something I could do with them. Ta-da! Coupons!

By covering up all the misprints and making them look more interesting, I transformed them into snazzy little coupon cards to include in orders from my shop. Here's how I make them:

I start by punching a one-inch hole on one side of the card. This isn't necessary to making them coupons, but it's an easy way to make them stand out.

And to show my true pack-rat/craftiness, I've been saving those little punched circles and piecing together a garland by gluing two together over a length of string. I couldn't possibly throw away perfectly good little circles! ;)

Next, I cut pieces of cardstock to fit just inside the length and width of the business card. This cardstock comes from the edges of the bigger sheets I use to make my cards and art -- yet another thing I save for just such a occasion. Using my handy-dandy adhesive dispenser, I get the punched card good and sticky.

Then, I center the cardstock over the business cards, and most of the letters and images are covered up!

Then, again because I like to be crafty, I punch the colored hole I've created once with a regular-sized hole punch, and twice with a small punch, so it looks basically like this:

Sort of lunar, don't you think?

Then I print out my text onto return address labels. One sheet gives me thirty stickers. When I created the labels on the computer, I rotated the text on one end to allow me to fold the label over the top edge of the coupon, like so:

A few minutes later, I have thirty cute, unique, and hopefully useful little coupons, and I've turned the lemons of my bum business cards into lemonade... or coupons... with a lemony zing, if you will. ;)

What do you think? Do any of you include coupons? How about other tricks for using misprinted or outdated business cards?

Thanks for taking a look. Happy crafting!

A Marvelous Little Mention

2009-11-04T20:02:00.000-08:00

Well now, what do we have here?

Why, it's the vibrant, November issue of Mpls/St. Paul magazine. And how exciting that the cover invites readers to learn about local handmade goodies?! And here's the beginning of the feature:

And just a page or two away on page 63...

Why, there's a side panel singling out local artists who sell on Etsy!

And, wait! Did you see what you think you saw?

Indeed! There's my shop name! And a tidy little blurb about what I do. Woo Hoo! :)

Sorry for the cheesiness. I'm just excited about it. And there's even more news to come! Stay tuned...

Thanks to loosewirestudio for alerting me of this feature!
Coincidentally, my second purchase on Etsy was this lovely print from Studio Mela!

A, M, and AZING

2009-10-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

My latest treasury features 16 amazing Etsy sellers who go way above and beyond the average listing photo and feature their items in print-worthy portraits. I've been collecting these over the last few weeks, and the selection was wonderfully abundant. These are off-beat, uneven, over-cropped, and downright inspiring. Enjoy!

Row 1: Yokoo, Meetalls, PunchDrunkPrincess, malam
Row 2: supplystar, moop, coughcoughchoke, fadedprairie
Row 3: ecologicalartist, 26olivestreet, lilfishstudios, rimadesigns
Row 4: CaptainCat, billyblue22, piprobins, doodlebirdie

A Tiny Stop-Motion Experiment

2009-10-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

Along with about a ka-gillion other fun things, trying my hand at stop-motion animation has been on my list of crafty things to try for a long, long time. Recently, I've been nudged into giving it a go by the work of artist blu (check this out), and the intro credits to the awesome documentary Handmade Nation.

I knew I had to start small, so I just set up my little digital camera on a tiny tripod in my studio and made a few of my things "come alive." Following this tutorial, I used iPhoto to download the photos (all 56 of them) from the camera, then imported them into iMovie (the older and better version) where I strung them together and sped up the "slideshow" to create my first teeny tiny animated movie.

The quality is low, the sound is off, and it doesn't exactly tell a story, but it's a start, and it's got me eager to try something with more substance next time.

I'll sheepishly admit that that's me doing the lame "beat boxing" in the background. It's hard to find a decent little sound effect that covers a mere 5 seconds of video, so I recorded one myself.

I should also note that the three stylin' little mini moo business cards are from my dear friend, Kendra Zvonik. Do sneak a peek at more of her expressive art here.

So what do you think? Too short to tell? Have any of you tried this? Any ideas for the next one? Anyone think I have a chance to make a record deal out of my mad mouth skills? kidding.

Business Card Holder - a simple, little tutorial

2009-10-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

As a seller, I know that it's important to place a few business cards with every order from my shop. As a buyer, I love getting fun packages and neat little extras. Marrying these two ideas, I've come up with a simple business card holder that doubles as a sort of goodie bag for my lucky and lovely patrons. And here, for your crafting delight, is a tutorial to make your very own business card holders.

Tools and Materials:

- Cardstock or thin paperboard (I'm using a 12 x 12" scrapbook-type cardstock. Try cereal box paperboard or an oversized postcard)
- Ruler
- Paper Cutter(s) (I'm using my big paper slicer for the straight cuts and a small swivel blade for cutting the notch)
- Scoring tool (I use a scoring blade on a paper trimmer. A bone folder can work as well)
- Some sort of adhesive to hold the holder closed (I use a sticker. Try ribbon, decorative tape, glue dots, double-sided tape, etc.)

Instructions:

Step 1: Cut the cardsctock into 2" x 8" strips. A 12 x 12" piece yields 8 strips and a 4" square.

Step 2: Mark scoring points at 2.25" and 6" along a single strip.

Step 3: Score the cardstock on these two points across the strip.

Again, a bone folder and a ruler work fine here too. If you lack a bone folder, a lead-less mechanical pencil can do in a pinch.

Score any remaining strips you cut along the same points. I usually use the first strip as a guide to cutting the rest by leaving it in the trimmer and laying the next strip beneath it.

Step 4: Cut the notch. This notch is what holds the business cards more or less in place. Star just below the 2" score line, pull down about half and inch, go over about an inch, and then finish lust below the score line again to look like this:

Then, fit in your cards by slipping 3 or 4 of them under this notch.

Step 5: Fold sides to close and seal.

Ta-da!

I really put mine to task, filling each one with a folded thank you note, two regular sized business cards, two mini Moo cards, and a coupon made from an old business card (I'll show you how I make those another time).

I like to keep a stack of these handy so that when I get an order, all I have to do is write a personal note in the thank-you card, put it all back together, seal it up, and nestle it in the package.

You could certainly dress these up more to your taste, adding ribbon, making them bigger, rounding the corners, etc. Me? I like 'em simple. Do let me know if you try these out. Happy crafting!

Take Two!

2009-09-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

My second Uptown Market event (the final U.M. of the year), was even better than the first. The weather was absolutely gorgeous: no threat of rain, a light breeze, and a temp in the mid-seventies... Ahhhhh. The turn out was a little better, my display was more catchy, and my neighbors were awesome.

I put one table all the way to the front of the booth and squeezed in most of the topo pieces there. I staggered the second table a few feet back and placed the flower pieces and the 8 x 10" works on it. Only a few people ventured all the way back to the second table and it definitely helped when I invited people there or pointed it out.

One of my favorite parts of the day was watching people do double-takes when they passed my booth. They'd be cruising along, glance over at my display, look ahead again, then quickly turn back, stop in their tracks, and make a line for the table. Sweet! I'm sure some of them were just curious about what all those "colorful blobs" were, but some asked great questions, spent a few minutes browsing, and a few even bought something for themselves.

The best seller, hands-down, was the Chain of Lakes pieces. Local folks shopped locally and liked the piece that represented so much of what makes their neighborhood beautiful. Because of those pieces, I also received many inquiries about custom work of other lakes and areas.

To my left was the painter, Patrick Ginter and his colorful, eye-catching works. The only thing more colorful than his paintings was his personality and sense of humor. I enjoyed our little chats and random musings throughout the day.

On my right was a talented team of cousins who put together a sell-out spread of organic goodies made from local fruits and veggies. Mary Ann Knox, a bit of a local celebrity and compost queen, along with her cousin Linda were experts at luring folks in with delicious-looking treats and handling the entire event with professionalism and bright attitudes. I bought one of their outstanding pecan pies before they were gone. Divine!

A little further down the street, a sweet-smelling bath and body vendor had the genius idea to do a little sidewalk chalk promotion. I complimented their idea and they were kind enough to let me wear down a couple of their sticks for my own little walk-over ad. I'm not sure a ton of people noticed it, but it was a fun experiment.

I also met the delightful Miss Laura Brown who made a special point to find me, introduce herself, and declare her intent to be my friend. How could I resist? :) Later in the day, she ambushed my booth and dropped off an adorable, felt, mini-pennant banner that I immediately strung up on my front table. Super cute. Laura has a sweet little shop on Etsy too!

As usual, there were a few musicians busking here and there. Two spots down from me, a couple of dudes struck up a few tunes playing Avett Brothers songs and a few others. It made for a nice mood and some sing-along moments. Here's a little clip and a short panorama:

Before, during and after the market, I was MUCH less keyed up than I was for the first one. I knew pretty much everything I needed to know and felt confident about what I was doing. Matthew helped me set up and take down, and then spent most of the day with the girls. My mother-in-law stopped by for a while and brought my Leah Bear with her for a nice visit.

In all, the Uptown Market was an enjoyable opportunity for me to be introduced to the world of craft fairs. I felt successful and inspired. Boo-ya!

Custom Work

2009-09-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I really should be working on building up my inventory for the final Uptown Market this Sunday. Or, I should be adding new pieces to my dwindling stock in my shop. Or, I should be making prototypes of season-based pieces from the sketches I've drawn. But, I've been having way too much fun working on some very cool custom pieces.

The first one is a "downward" topography of Joshua Tree National Park in California. It is to be a wedding gift from the bride to her groom. I think this piece ended up with a perfect blend of accuracy and abstraction.

The next custom request was a fun and challenging project that involved incorporating maps from various games into five separate yet similar 12 x 12", topographic pieces. I've never before used anything other than my own stash of cardstock, so working with/around/through the maps sent to me was a go at something new.

I also made a custom collection of topographic card sets in the shape and depths of my hometown lake, Lake Bemidji, in northern Minnesota. They turned out really well, and I was so excited to send them off that I forgot to take pictures of them. Ah well.

When starting a custom project, I really try to make sure I understand what the project means to the buyer and I try to get a clear description from them as to what they're expecting the piece to be. When the piece is complete, I still hold my breath a little each time I notify the buyer, hoping that what I've created is close to if not even better than what he or she had in mind. And when I get glowing feedback from the patron when all is said and done, then I feel awesome about the whole thing!

I keep a small blackboard in my studio. This is where I write my custom orders, what they are, and when I promised them to be complete. Currently, it's a blank slate. And even though I have so many things I should be doing as I mentioned earlier, I get a strong urge to ask the world, "What's next? Whatchya got for me?"

Uptown Market - August 16th

2009-08-17T10:35:00.001-07:00

Wooo Hooooo! We did it!

It feels incredibly good to have my first craft fair over and done. It was a great experience and, like most newbies, I learned a lot, thankfully with few regrets. The weather ignored all the prognostications for heavy rain, and gave us pocketed sunshine throughout most of the day with only about five minutes of a very light sprinkle mid-day. Every minute that it didn't rain, my smile got bigger and my shoulders relaxed more.

The event was well run and we found our little corner of the market easily. The boundaries of our booth were chalked on the road and we could pull our vehicle right up to it on the other side of the street - how sweet! This made unloading a breeze. We unpacked all the gear and got to work on the tent. I was shaky-nervous and excited. Here's me working on a corner of the tent -- you can see how conveniently close the van was to this.

Once the tent was up, we moved on to the tables, the hanging wall doo-dads, and generally getting things up and show-ready. In this pic, you can see some of my essentials: coffee, duct tape, plastic totes, snacks, band-aids, and everything else.

The overall turn-out was fairly slim and not nearly the hordes of people I had seen in flickr pages for other fairs, but it was steady and polite. I gave away quite a few business cards and had many people stop in, ask questions, get closer looks, and offer compliments.

I felt prepared for questions about how I make my things, if I could do custom work, and how long I'd been doing this, but a couple of questions caught me off guard. The very first visitor to my booth asked, "What are these?" Ummm... Isn't it obvious? :) I resisted saying that and realized more throughout the day that it wasn't crystal clear that I was selling art and cards made from layered, colored paper. One person thought the Topo pieces looked like Rorschach ink blots, while another thought on first glance that they were watercolors. Another passerby simply asked, "What's Crafterall?" To which I answered, "That's me! And all the work do here."

A woman on one side of me sold magnetic jewelry, and the woman on the other side of me sold quilted bags specifically made for four-legged walkers. Other vendors sold fresh, organic produce, screen prints, t-shirts, pottery, fresh-brewed coffee, bath and body products, photo prints, metal ornaments, and some of the tastiest looking pulled meat sandwiches that kept walking by in the hands of happy customers. There were also half a dozen street buskers including a guy on an apartment balcony throwin' out some def turntable spins. Along with a handful of non-profit organizations advertising their causes, the Uptown Market was an eclectic melange of things to see, touch, hear, and eat. Pretty darn cool.

There were so many highlights to my first craft fair. The weather, which became my biggest worry in the last few days before the show, was wonderfully mild. It was a little breezy, but everything in my booth stood its ground. My very first sale of the day could not have been better. The buyer was local, loved the "Chain o' Lakes" pieces I made, snapped one up for herself, and appreciated being able to pay with her credit card. She was enthusiastic and complimentary about everything in my booth -- such a redemptive and encouraging boost for me! I heard lots of other nice compliments throughout the day, and even had a patron say that she had seen my work on Etsy! Awesomeness! She picked up a "Retro Poppies" for herself too. A couple of folks talked with me about potential custom work, and I received confirmation this morning for one such request.

The biggest highlight of the entire process, hands down, was having the tireless and and cheerful assistance of my hubby with me through it all. His MacGyver-like knot-tying and problem-solving/preventing efforts were invaluable and helped to make me a much cooler cookie than I would have been without his help. We were able to chat about what seemed to be working this time, and what we could do differently next time. He also managed the booth while I perused the other booths, and he bought me a yummy lunch from a nearby African restaurant. Thanks, honey!

At the end of the day, my earnings were nothing to sing about, but I covered the cost of my booth fee and enough after that to make me eager to do this again in September. Yee-haw!

Basement Booth!

2009-08-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

O.K., so here it is!

Leah, my number one fan, is modeling it, and hanging off the chair she's in is the apron I made for the event. Of course, there will be a canopy over the top and we'll most likely have the sides up with the 70% chance of rain (and thunderstorms - shhhhhh) prediction. I'm also going to hang a big, framed "Retro Poppies" papercut as well as a smaller, framed Topo piece for a little more vertical interest. But basically, this is how I think it will look. The Crafterall banner will be on the front of the tent once I figure out how to do so, and I'm still not sure where that little plant stand table will go.

Here is the table with the topography and art card pieces. There's a basket of one-of-a-kind items, and tiered displays of various cards that I will re-load as necessary. On the little easel, there's a single open card for some tactile interaction. At the recommendation of the some wonderful Etsy folks, this guy is out for folks to touch, open, and drool over. ;)

This is the "flower" side of things. I found the white memo-station thing for a quarter at a garage sale and re-fitted a ribbon board in the flat space. Got lucky with the three front pockets as they are the perfect size for the cards!

As an Uptown Market Exclusive, I'll be selling papercut topographies of the popular Minneapolis Chain of Lakes (Twin Lakes, Brownie Lake, Cedar Lake, Lake of the Isles, Lake Calhoun, unnamed swampy area, and Lake Harriet). I hope these will be a hit with the local crowd.

Behind the scenes, I've got my credit card imprinter with slips, a hole-y box (50 cents in the IKEA as is section) for pens, and plastic bags for purchases. I've got a load of business cards, logo-rific postcards, and hard candy to hand out too.

I'm still undecided about using the kraft paper over the white tablecloth. I like that it sets off the white of the cards, but worry that it cheapens the look, and I'm not sure it will hold up in the forecasted precipitation. What do you think?

The reality is solidifying and I have my booth number assigned! I'll be representin' in booth #45, just west of Bryant Avenue. If you're in the neighborhood, please stop by for a hug!

Inspired

2009-08-12T01:24:00.001-07:00

...and tired! Once again I have stayed up way too late working on other things (see previous post) and managed to catch a treasury opening. Here's the latest, inspired by one of Kendra's amazing new paintings. I love the colors, the forms, and the overall energy of the piece. It makes me happy. Enjoy!

12 days and counting...

2009-08-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

I'm almost completely consumed with preparations for the upcoming Uptown Market in 12 days. This will be my first craft fair as a vendor. I've been to them before as a buyer and to take notes, but I've never been on that side of the table.

I'm excited, nervous, overwhelmed, and only freaking out a little bit. I'm spending as much as my non-kid time down in studio working on building an impressive stock of work. To give my wrist a break from all the cutting, I'm putting together all the not-so-little details such as obtaining a canopy (thanks, bro!), buying a credit card impression doo-dad, figuring out prices and how tax will factor into them, booth decorations and logistics, and making sure I have enough of the typical craft fair necessities on hand for the big day.

The Etsy fora has proven to be a wealth of craft fair advice as well as many good friends and relatives who have had experience hawking their wares at events like this. I know this is only my first show and I will learn so much from the opportunity. I just want to do as much as I can right the first time to earn as much success as possible. One of the things I've learned already is that by writing about my experiences helps me to sort through the clutter in my head and de-stress a bit. So, stay tuned as I hope to plug in here at least once again before the fair with an update and hopefully pics of what I'm up to. Please feel free to offer any further tips and tricks or links to such things in the comments. I'm all ears.

New Treasury - So cool.

2009-06-03T23:01:00.001-07:00

I really ought not to stay up so darn late, but I did and I happened to catch the main treasury opening*. All I had to do to find delicious items to collect was to look in my favorites. If I could, I would buy them all up right now. For the moment, I'll settle for a good, long drool over them. Enjoy.

* If you haven't yet noticed, the fine folks at Craftopolis have created a "Treasure Clock" that does the math for you to let you know when each of the Etsy treasury lists will open. Genius.

After Craft - a match made on Etsy

2009-05-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

I love paper.
I like treating the Earth with respect.
And I'm hopelessly hooked on Etsy.

What do these three facts have in common? A little something called "After Craft," that's what. Let me explain.

One of the many dear souls I've met via Etsy is Kendra Zvonik. She's the genius behind Etsy shop Green Post, a source for art, magnets, papers, cards, and badges all made from paper scraps. Kendra and I have a tendancy to think alike, and one day a couple of weeks ago, we had simlutaneous light bulbs lighting over our heads. I had loads of lovely paper scraps, she had a nifty method for recycling paper pulp. Ding!

Here's how it all works:

I make these:

Over a couple months, I end up with a decent stash of pretty paper scraps:

I send them to KZ who sorts them by color:

Then she shreds them to prepare them for pulply goodness:

Kendra then works her paper making magic to produce smooth sheets like these:

Rougher sheets like these begging for a collage project:

And, my favorite, PLANTABLE cards with wildflower seeds imbedded in the paper:

Kendra's glassblowing husband came up with the name, "After Craft." It's snappy, no? I don't think I could be more delighted. It's paper, it's recycled, it's handmade, it's the product of a partnership, it's beautiful, and with the plantable cards it keeps on growin'!

Everyone who orders from my shop will receive a plantable card from me and Kendra. You can also buy your own cards and After Craft paper at Green Post.

Thank you, KZ, for rockin' my world. I've got another stack of scraps started already.